6 ms·

I think this discussion of Kierkegaard falls a little flat as an introduction to him for those who haven't already read him. One thing about his writing that is

by wfo 10y ago

I think this discussion of Kierkegaard falls a little flat as an introduction to him for those who haven't already read him. One thing about his writing that is curiously missing in this piece is how /funny/ he is. He is witty, sarcastic, hilarious, and eminently readable. For example, here's a very short chapter from Either/Or (it's from the aesthetic perspective A) http://sorenkierkegaard.nl/artikelen/Engels/145.%20THE%20ROTATION%20OF%20CROPS.pdf http://sorenkierkegaard.nl/artikelen/Engels/145.%20THE%20ROT...

hprotagonist 10y ago
I wonder to what extent that's just a question of historical distance. Off the top of my head and in no particular order of "greatness" or time: Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer, Donne, Thoreau, Kafka, and Melville are also, in their own ways, capable of really good comedy. We just see them as "classics" and thus they're stuffy and meant to be taken seriously.
- cableshaft 10y ago
  Voltaire's Candide was pretty darn funny too. That's all I've read of his, though, so I'm not sure if all his writing is like that.
  - hprotagonist 10y ago
    he was trying to be funny (and stick a knife in liebnitz), anyway. Voltaire's definitely got the "biting satire" down pat.
- jbattle 10y ago
  + cervantes - dox quixote shocked me with how funny it is. Like a three stooges novel.
optimuspaul 10y ago
"all people are boring" a little too on the nose.
bbctol 10y ago
A lot of philosophers really are quite funny; David Hume could be particularly sarcastic, especially when discussing religion.
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- dmreedy 10y ago
  Bertrand Russell is also a delight to read; as someone who made history of philosophy their portfolio, his 'deep cuts', as it were, are often quite quick and incisive. You can feel that wry smile of his.
bobwaycott 10y ago
Seriously. Kierkegaard has been a long-time favorite, and he's never ceased to make me laugh while making me think.

by wfo 10y ago

hprotagonist 10y ago

I wonder to what extent that's just a question of historical distance. Off the top of my head and in no particular order of "greatness" or time: Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer, Donne, Thoreau, Kafka, and Melville are also, in their own ways, capable of really good comedy. We just see them as "classics" and thus they're stuffy and meant to be taken seriously.

cableshaft 10y ago
Voltaire's Candide was pretty darn funny too. That's all I've read of his, though, so I'm not sure if all his writing is like that.
- hprotagonist 10y ago
  he was trying to be funny (and stick a knife in liebnitz), anyway. Voltaire's definitely got the "biting satire" down pat.
jbattle 10y ago
+ cervantes - dox quixote shocked me with how funny it is. Like a three stooges novel.

optimuspaul 10y ago

"all people are boring" a little too on the nose.

bbctol 10y ago

A lot of philosophers really are quite funny; David Hume could be particularly sarcastic, especially when discussing religion.

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
dmreedy 10y ago
Bertrand Russell is also a delight to read; as someone who made history of philosophy their portfolio, his 'deep cuts', as it were, are often quite quick and incisive. You can feel that wry smile of his.

bobwaycott 10y ago

Seriously. Kierkegaard has been a long-time favorite, and he's never ceased to make me laugh while making me think.